Lap winding engine



Oct. 20, 1964 O HONEGGER LAP WINDING ENGINE Filed Aug. 21, 1962 Jnrentor:

s m? H l [665 6 fl 777/6 w ys United States Patent 4 Claims. cl. 242-551 This invention relates to a lap winding engine for rolling a lap on a tubular core containing a lap rod, the tubular core being extracted from the lap when completed, whereas the lap rod remains in the lap.

Lap forming engines are used for instance 'in association with cotton heaters or scutchers for rolling the cotton fibre web into laps. It has already been proposed to extract the winding core from the lap by mechanical means, whereas the lap rod remains in the lap. According to another proposal the extraction of the tubular core is performed automatically. However, in such lap winding devices a fresh lap rod must be inserted by hand into the core upon which the fresh lap is being formed.

The present invention proposes to perform the insertion of the lap rod into the hollow core automatically.

According to the invention a magazine for a plurality of lap rods is located above the position into which the finished lap is withdrawn from the tubular core, so arranged that the motions involved in the extraction of the tubular core cause one of said rods to drop into a position from which it can enter the tubular core during the build-up of the following lap. Conveniently a trough adapted to receive a finished lap from the lap-forming roller can be traversed for withdrawing the lap from the tubular core and carries an abutment arranged to displace a lap rod or its support in a manner permitting said rod to drop into position for subsequent insertion into the empty tubular core. The position of the lap rod, after having dropped from the magazine, is determined by a holder connected with said abutment for interception of one end of the rod, whereas guide means are provided for intercepting the other end of the rod, holder and guide means being located to align with the tubular core when this has risen into a predetermined position during build-up of the lap. The arrangement may include means for sensing the position of the tubular core during build-up of the lap, said means actuating a switch for initiating the return traverse of the trough when the tubular core is in alignment with the guide means supporting the lap rod.

An embodiment of the invention in two different operational positions is illustratively shown in the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view partly in section showing the lap roll in withdrawn position.

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view partly in section showing the lap roll in winding position.

FIG. 2 shows a lap 3 in course of formation on a tubular core 4 containing a winding rod 1. The lap is rotated by frictional peripheral contact with a lap forming roller 12. A fibre web is continuously fed to the rotating lap. As soon as a continuously measured length of web has been rolled on to the lap, the latter is dotted into a trough located alongside the lap forming roller 12, the ends 4 of the tubular core being held by retainers 17. For extracting the hollow core 4from the finished lap the trough with the lap is traversed in direction P and, as shown in FIG. 1, the finished lap, together with the winding rod which remains in the lap, is thus withdrawn from the hollow core 4. The cut leading end of the fibre web is then placed on to the empty core and the latter together with the end of the web is returned ice into contact with the lap forming roller 12 for rolling V a fresh lap 3 (FIG. 2).

Above the position into which the trough is traversed for the withdrawal of the lap 3 from the hollow core 4 is a magazine 2 containing a plurality of winding rods 1 one above the other. Near one of its ends each winding rod 1 carries a disc 9 which rests on the next winding rod underneath. The discs thus determine the relative spacing of the associated ends of the rods, the disc of the bottom rod resting on a ledge 8 with a T-slot in magazine 2 the T 8' being large enough for the passage therethrough of disc 9.

Connected with and thus participating in the motion of the trough 5 is an abutment 7 adapted to enter the T-slot when trough 5 is retracted and to push the disc of the lowermost rod over a ramp 8" formed on the face of ledge 8, into the T 8 and thus causing this rod 1 to drop into the position marked in dotted outlines in FIG. 1, in which the end of the rod carrying the disc 9 is intercepted in a fork 16 which is likewise connected with abutment 7 and trough 5. The other end of the Winding rod 1 drops on to guide means 11 which are attached to the frame of the lap winding engine, and which are located above the axis of the lap forming roller 12.

The tubularcore 4 which carries the lap above the lap forming roller 12 is maintained by weighting means 13 in contact with the lap winding roller with a given amount of contact pressure. In course of build-up of the lap 3 the weighting means progressively rise. When the weighting means 13 and hence the tubular core 4 have risen into a position in which the tubular core is in alignment with guide means 11, a lever 14 associated with the weighting means 13 actuates a switch 15 for starting the drive means of trough 5, causing the trough 5 to return from its position in FIG. 1 into that shown in FIG. 2. The winding rod 1 which lies in position ready for use on guide means 11 and pusher in the form of a fork 16 is thus pushed into the hollow tubular core 4.

What I claim is:

1. In a lap winding device comprising a tubular core for the winding thereon of a lap, and means for winding a lap onto the tubular core, the tubular core and winding means being disposed at a winding station, a carrier for moving a completed lap axially of the tubular core to withdraw the completed lap from the tubular core and dispose the completed lap at a completed lap station axially spaced from the winding station, and winding rod for insertioninto the tubular core prior to removal of the completed lap from the tubular core and for retention by the completed lap after said removal leaving the tubular core empty of a winding rod following removal of a completed lap from the tubular core, the improvement which comprises:

(a) a magazine for winding rods,

(b) readying means for the winding rods for receiving a winding rod from the magazine and holding it in position for insertion into the tubular core in empty condition by axial movement of the winding rod,

(c) first winding rod control means responsive to movement of the carrier from the winding station to the completed lap station, and effective to release a winding rod from the magazine to the readying means,

(d) second winding rod control means for moving the winding rod into the tubular core in empty condition at the winding station.

2. A lap winding device according to claim 1, said magazine being disposed over the completed lap station, said readying means being disposed beneath the magazine, said magazine including means defining an opening therein permitting a winding rod Within the magazine upon alignment with said opening to drop from the magazine and fall to the readying means, said first Winding rod control means being mounted on the carrier and being efiective to'shift a control rod into alignment as aforesaid With said opening in the magazine for transferring a Winding rod from the magazine to the readying means upon movement of the carrier from the Winding station to the completed lap station.

3. A lap winding device according to claim 2, the tubu lar core at the winding station moving from a relatively loW level to a relatively high level during the Winding.

of a lap thereon, said readying means being disposed at a level above the relatively low level of the tubular core, said second winding rod control means being eiTective to move a Winding rod from the readyingv means to Within the empty tubular core when the tubular core has risen during the winding of a lap thereon to a level corresponding with the level of the readying means.

a 4. 4. A lap winding device according to claim 3, said second Winding rod control means including means for "sensing the level of the tubular rod when the tubular rod References Cited by the Examiner LUNITED STATES PATENTS 2,756,939 7/56 Kawazura 242 -551 2,848,175 8/58 Stephens et a1 24255.1 2,929,570 3/60 Stein 242-55.1

MERVIN STElN, Primary Examiner.

20 JOSEPH P. STRIZAK, Examiner. 

1. IN A LAP WINDING DEVICE COMPRISING A TUBULAR CORE FOR THE WINDING THEREON OF A LAP, AND MEANS FOR WINDING A LAP ONTO THE TUBULAR CORE, THE TUBULAR CORE AND WINDING MEANS BEING DISPOSED AT A WINDING STATION, A CARRIER FOR MOVING A COMPLETED LAP AXIALLY OF THE TUBULAR CORE TO WITHDRAW THE COMPLETED LAP FROM THE TUBULAR CORE AND DISPOSE THE COMPLETED LAP AT A COMPLETED LAP STATION AXIALLY SPACED FROM THE WINDING STATION, AND WINDING ROD FOR INSERTION INTO THE TUBULAR CORE PRIOR TO REMOVAL OF THE COMPLETED LAP FROM THE TUBULAR CORE AND FOR RETENTION BY THE COMPLETED LAP AFTER SAID REMOVAL LEAVING THE TUBULAR CORE EMPTY OF A WINDING ROD FOLLOWING REMOVAL OF A COMPLETED LAP FROM THE TUBULAR CORE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A MAGAZINE FOR WINDING RODS, (B) READYING MEANS FOR THE WINDING RODS FOR RECEIVING A WINDING ROD FROM THE MAGAZINE AND HOLDING IT IN POSITION FOR INSERTION INTO THE TUBULAR CORE IN EMPTY CONDITION BY AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE WINDING ROD, (C) FIRST WINDING ROD CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIER FROM THE WINDING STATION TO THE COMPLETED LAP STATION, AND EFFECTIVE TO RELEASE A WINDING ROD FROM THE MAGAZINE TO THE READYING MEANS, (D) SECOND WINDING ROD CONTROL MEANS FOR MOVING THE WINDING ROD INTO THE TUBULAR CORE IN EMPTY CONDITION AT THE WINDING STATION. 